Winding mechanism



March '14, 1944. F, c, EV NS 2,343,964

WINDING MECHANISM Original Filed Deb. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

INVENTOR F. C. EVA NS ATTORNEY March 14, 1944. c EVANS WINDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 16, 1941 INVENTOR F..- C. EVA NS Y ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1944 WINDING MECHANISM Francis 0. Evans, Dongan Hills, N. Y., assignor to American District Telegraph Company, Jersey City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application December 16, 1941, Serial No. 423,130. Divided and this application August 4, 1942, Serial No. 453,509

8 Claims.

This invention relates to winding mechanism for alarm signal transmitters and the like, the present application being a division of my prior application, Serial No. 423,130, filed December 16, 1941.

In general terms the object of the present invention is to improve the winding mechanism of spring motor driven devices such as alarm transmitters.

Another object of the invention is to provide a winding mechanism for an alarm signal transmitter which insures that the winding of the transmitter or other delicate apparatus will, only be done properly and without damage even when the winding is done by a careless or unskilled attendant.

Other objects are to confine all operations of the spring winding and driving mechanisms within safe limits; to insure constant speed of operation for each time the spring mechanism is wound, and to insure constant torque within certain limits by always operating the spring mechanism within predetermined limits.

An additional object is to provide a winding mechanism which will always be wound to the desired extent by the key or winding member and which cannot be only partially wound or overwound.

A still further object is to provide winding mechanism for an alarm signal transmitter or the like which is of such character that the normal operation of the alarm signal transmitter cannot be interfered with or the transmitter deranged by manipulation of the winding key in the hands of a person who is seeking to disable or block the operation of the transmitter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the transmitter with the supporting structure omitted.

Figs. 1A, 1B and 1C are fragmentary views of a portion of the key winding mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a front plan view of the signal transmitter shown in Fig. 1 with the cover removed; and

' Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, are detail views of the spring motor trip mechanism at successive stages of the winding operation, at the completion of which the transmitter is operative to send a restoration signal and the spring motor is tensioned for the transmission of an alarm signal during a subsequent period.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated is a fire alarm transmitter arranged for sending coded alarm signals to a central station, the transthereof to receive the latch 3|.

mitter being adapted to be released either manually or automatically by temperature responsive devices, as described in detail in the parent application referred to above. However, the winding mechanism for the spring motor as disclosed and claimed herein is adapted for use in many other types of mechanism including horological apparatus.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the alarm'transmitter comprises a code impulse wheel l0 mounted on a shaft ll which is driven through a gear l2 and pinion I3 from a main shaft Hi to which the spring driving motor is connected. The motor preferably comprises two coiled springs l5 and 13 arranged inparallel so that, if either spring breaks, the impulse wheel I0 is driven by the other spring, although if desired a single spring driving structure obviously may be employed. The impulse wheel I0 is provided with a series of teeth I8 adapted to engage the contact spring l9 when the impulse wheel is rotated and thereby open the contacts 20 to break the transmission circuit and. send code impulses thereover in a manner well-known in the art.

The tripping of the impulse wheel I0 permits said wheel to be driven by the spring motor, and in the prior application referred to above means for either automatically or manually tripping the transmitter is described and claimed. As shown, the spring motor is connected through the gears I2, 22, 24 and26 and the intermediate pinions I3, 23, 25 and 21 to the governor fan 28, the latter also serving as a latch member for normally restraining the rotation of the impulse wheel ID. The gearing referred to is provided for the purpose of rotating the governor fan 28 at the desired speed. The-rotation of the governor fan 28 is normally prevented by a movable latch member 3| which may be moved either in a horizontal or a vertical plane to disengage the hook 32 of said latch from the edge of the governor fan 28. As shown, notches 33 and 34 are provided in the opposite edges of the fan blade to permit the latch to be disengaged therefrom by a horizontal movement, the notch 34 being wider than the notch 33 so that, when the edge of the narrow slot is cleared, the governor fan 28 will rotate freely.

The manual trip mechanism includes an operating arm 36 secured to a movable rod 3'! pivoted at the point 38, said rod being attached to a lateral bar 39 which is slotted at the outer end Thus, it will be seen that movement of the operating arm 36 in a horizontal direction serves to deflect the latch 3! to wind the spring motor, the pin 10 engages the slot in the hub- 55 on the motor shaft l4 so that, when the key is turned in a clockwise direction, the shaft l4 turns with the key and tensions the motor springs l and IS. The winding mechanism is shown in the unwound condition in Fig. 1.

as claimed herein obviously may be incorporated in various types of spring motor mechanism, as;

pointed out above. A key 40 is provided .for tun-. ing the shaft l4 to wind the spring motor. 'In

the embodiment shown the gear Ilisjournaled freely on the shaft l4, whereas the ratchet wheel 7 4 4| is secured to said shaft. A pawl 42, which is pinned to the gear I2, is adapted to engage the ratchet wheel 4| to couple the motor shaft to said gear when the transmitter is tripped and 'to permit the motor shaft. l4 and wheel 4| to turn in a clockwise direction during the winding opera tion without turning thegear |2.' i The gear .l2'is held vpositively[against movement during the winding'operation by means of a; pin 45 secured thereto and adapted to abut against'a lug 46 on a rotatable stop member 41 which is pinned tothe fram of the transmitter. The stop member 41 is also provided with a projecting arm 48 extending into the path of movement of a pin 49 carried bya wheel 50 journaled'on the shaft I4. The wheel 50 in turn is driven through a lost-motion connection from a cam 5| havinga lateral pin 52 extending into an arcuate slot 53 in the wheel 50. The cam 5| and slotted hub 55, which is adapted to receive the key 49, are secured to the motor shaft |4 so that the stop member 41 is turned by the engagement of the pin 49 with the arm 48 when the spring motor is wound up. The

I stop member 41 is held in either'the stop or release position by a spring 50 having 'a notch engaging the cam projection BI on said stop member.

It will be noted that thecam member 5| is provided with a peripheral slot53 and a radialno'tch 64, the former being provided fo'racircuit controlling function and the latter to control the movementof the bar 31 through the pin 65 for the purpose of releasing the transmitter to send a restoration signal when the spring motor is fully wound (or the transmitter: restored to its norvided with 1 one sloping edge and one steepor perpendicular edge whereby the cam 5| willthrow the latch member or lever 3| suddenlyinto tripping position as the cam turns in a counterclockwise direction when the transmitter is operating to send the restoration signal. During the winding of. the. spring-motor, a projecting arm '66 on the'stopmember 41 holdsthepin 6 5011 the t'rip arm 31 out of engagement with the notch ;64 on the cam 5 I, so that the winding operation is not interfered with by the engagement between the said pinand notch. Since the transmission of the restoration signal is not a feature ofthe invention to be claimed herein, a further detailed description of this function is deemed unnecessary. However, the angular movement of the winding shaft after the motoris wound and the key removed prevents the blocking or interference with the transmitterby. the key or another element engaging the hub: 55, since the slottherein moves behind the cover or shield 68.

The key entrapment and camming mechanism includes a stationary covering shield or yoke 68 having a keyhole through which the key 40 may be inserted with the pin '10 thereon extending laterally, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2., When the key 40 is inserted into thehub 55in this manner When the key has been turned approximately 120, the pawl 42 engages a notch in the ratchet wheel. on the shaft I4 and prevents the return .of-. the shaft so that the key 4|l'is trapped underneath the left handedge of the keyhole in the yoke 68. After the key is turned another 120, the pawl 42 engages a second notch in the ratchet wheel 4|, the spring motor becoming more tightly wound but not completely wound until the shaft [4 has made a completeturn. In the meantime the turning of the cam 5| turns the cam through the connection including the pin 52 so that the pin 49 is no longer holding the stop member'41' in the'transmitter stopping position, but the member 41 cannot move from such position, since the spring 69 and lug 6| retain it in the stop position. [As the rotation of the key is continued through another 120, the notch 64 in the cam 5| will pass under the pin 65, whichis prevented from falling into the said notch by the engagement of the projecting arm 66 on the stop lever 41 with the tripping arm 31.

The key entrapment mechanism further includes a pivoted lever 1| which is pinned to the upper edge of the shield or yoke 68 by the pin 12, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1A, 1B and 2. The

curved lever 1| extends around approximately one-half of the periphery of the hub and is normally biased toward the position shown in Fig. 1A by a leaf spring 14. The lower or outer end of the curved lever 1| is tapered or wedgeshaped,'as shownat-15 in Fig. 10. Thus, it will be apparent that, since the pin 10 is sufliciently long to project beyond the circumference of the hub- 55, after the key 40 has been turned about '300, it will be trapped behind the lever 1| so that it .cannotbe withdrawn until the pin 10 in the key is turned beyond the end of the lever 1|,

and the spring motor will be completely wound ditional twist of the key will further tension the spring motor so that, when the key is released, the

spring motor will return the same to the position in which shaft; 1 4; has just made one complete turn. During this slight angular return movement of the key, the pin 10' rides up on the cam surface 15 of the lever 1| so that the key is ejected, from the hub'55 on the winding shaft.

@incethe complete rotation of the cams 50 and 5|. has effected the oscillation of' the stop mem- .ber 41 to its alternate or release position, asshown more clearly in Figs. Sand '7, the gear I2 of the transmitter is released and is operated by the spring motor, after the key 49 is withdrawn, for

alimited movement sufficient to rotate the code i npuls 'wh'eel lq to send the restoration signal.

The transmitter is then stopped by the dropping I of. the pin into the notch 64 in the cam 5| -until the transmitter is tripped to send an alarm signal consisting of a plurality of revolutions of Vthe co de impulse wheel. The tripping of the transmitter when thefalarm signal is to be sent permits-the spring motor to rotatethe gear 12 until the pin 45 again engages the lug 45 on the stop member il. Inasmuch as the initial rotation of the motor shaft M in sending the restoration signal turned the slot in the hub 55 on the winding mechanism underneath the cover plate or yoke 58, it is impossible to stop or derange the operation of the spring motor to rotate the drive shaft I4 by inserting the key 48 or other similar tool through the keyhole. The key 40 cannot be reinserted into engaging relation with the winding hub 55 until the transmitter has run down and the spring motor has to be rewound.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, Fig. 3 illustrates the spring motor trip mechanism together with a ratchet wheel and motor shaft in the rundown condition. Fig. 4 illustrates the trip mechanism after the key has been turned 120 in the winding operation. Fig. 5 illustrates the same elements after the key has been turned 240, and Fig. 6 through 360 of rotation. Fig. '7 illustrates the relation of the ratchet wheel 4| and the pawl 42 when the key is turned beyond the fully wound position in order to enable the key to be withdrawn, as described above. Fig. 8 illustrates the degree of rotation of the motor shaft and gear I2 at the end of the restoration signal when the code wheel is stopped by the movement of the lever 31 when the pin 65 drops into the notch in the cam 5 l.

Various modifications of the foregoing mechanism will readily suggest themselve to those skilled in the art without the exercise of inventive skill and without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a spring driven signal transmitting device comprising a winding mechanism and a key, said key including a member projecting therefrom for engaging said winding mechanism, a shielding device associated with said winding mechanism and provided with an opening for admitting said projecting member on said key, said shielding device comprising a key-trapping portion behind which said projecting member of the key must be turned during the winding operation to entrap the key when the winding operation is started, a key retaining member pivoted on said shielding device and engaging said projecting member of the key in that portion of the rotational angle of said key for continuing the entrapment of the key until a predetermined degree of rotation is accomplished and a spring biasing said pivoted member to force it into a releasing position after said predetermined degree of rotation of the key is effected to permit said key to be extracted from the device.

2. In combination, a spring driven signal transmitting device comprising a winding mechanism and a key, said key including a member projecting therefrom for engaging said winding mechanism, a shielding device associated with said winding mechanism and provided with an opening for admitting said projecting member on said key and comprising a key-trapping portion behind which said key projection must be turned during the winding operation to entrap the key after said operation has started, a key retaining member in said shielding device engaging the outer side of the projecting member of said key in that portion of the rotational angle of said key for continuing the entrapment of the key until a predetermined degree of rotation is ac complished, said projecting member on the key clearing said retaining member after a predetermined degree of rotation of the key whereby said key may be extracted from the mechanism after such rotation.

3. In. combination, a spring driven signal transmitting device comprising a winding mechanism and a key, a shielding device associated with said winding mechanism and provided with an opening for admitting said key, said device including a key-trapping portion behind which said key must be turned during the winding operation to entrap said key after said operation has started, a key retaining member in said shielding device engaging said key for a portion of the rotational movement of the key to continue the key entrapment function until 360 of rotation is completed and a spring for biasing said retaining member into a normal position behind the key after complete rotation of said key whereby the key is cammed from engagement with the winding mechanism.

4. In combination, a spring driven device comprising a winding mechanism and a key for engaging said winding mechanism, a shielding device associated with said winding mechanism and provided with an opening for admitting said key, said device comprising a key-trapping portion or element behind which said key must be turned during the winding operation to entrap said key after said operation has started and a key retaining member at said opening in the shielding device engaging said key for continuing the entrapment of the key for a predetermined degree of rotation of the key.

5. In combination, a spring driven device comprising a winding mechanism and a key for engaging said winding mechanism, a shielding device associated with said winding mechanism provided with an opening for admitting said key and key ejecting means including a member engaging said key after a predetermined degree of rotation thereof during the winding operation.

6. In combination, a spring driven device comprising a winding mechanism and a key for engaging said winding mechanism, means for entrapping the key during a predetermined rotation thereof and for releasing the key when the winding mechanism has completely wound the spring motor, and means for limiting insertion of said key into winding engagement with said winding mechanism to a predetermined position of said winding mechanism.

7. In combination, a spring driven device comprising a spring motor, a winding mechanism for said motor and a key for engaging said winding mechanism, means for ejecting the key from the winding mechanism when said motor is completely wound, and means for preventing reinsertion of the key until the motor requires rewinding.

8. In combination, a spring driven device comprising a spring motor, a winding mechanism and a key for engaging the winding mechanism, means for preventing the withdrawal of the key from the winding mechanism before the mechanism is fully wound and for preventing greater than a predetermined rotation of the key to prevent overwinding, and means for camming the key from the winding mechanism when the spring motor is fully wound.

FRANCIS C. EVANS. 

